There is no doubt about the fact that the past few quarters have been a mixed one for Apple. The major highlights during the last 6 months were various news reports that suggested that Apple’s iPhone and its products were gradually falling out of favor – thanks to increased competition – followed by the not so smooth launch of the iPhone 5. And then, Apple surprised everyone with the sales of the iPhone 5 – and of late, its quarterly results.
Soon after the iPhone 5 was launched, the product was criticized for being not as innovative as everyone expected to be. To top it all, the popular Google Maps application that iPhone users were so used to was yanked off to be replaced with Apple’s own iOS Maps – which didn’t really go down well with even the the most hardcore of iOS fans. However – one thing that happened for sure was the fact that people STILL lined up to buy the latest iteration of the phone – and the result? Well, Apple has managed to edge out Samsung and become the number one smartphone maker in the U.S market – stealing the crown from Samsung.
Thats right! According to data from analytics firm Strategy Analytics, Apple has usurped the crown of the biggest smartphone maker in the US from Samsung. According to them, Apple had a 34 percent share of the U.S. smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2012. An estimated 17.7 million iPhones were shipped during that period – compared to just 16.8 million handsets shipped by Samsung. The latter had to settle with 32 percent of the U.S market. It is clear that even with its famous flaws, people still flocked to buy the iPhone 5. The fact that the new device had LTE connectivity too is being thought of as a reason why the device sold so well.
It was not a bad few quarter for Samsung either as the company has managed to increase its market share further. The company only had 26.9 percent of the smartphones market during the same period a year ago. Samsung’s place was bolstered by the phenomenal sales of its flagship – the Galaxy S III. However, Apple’s launch of the iPhone 5 player party pooper for Samsung and helped Apple become the top smartphone maker in the country.
